Dalit body seeks ordinance on internal reservation

Bengaluru: The ‘Scheduled Castes Union for Social Justice’ on Monday staged a protest at Freedom Park, demanding the state government to implement internal reservation among Scheduled Castes through an ordinance.

The Supreme Court on August 1, 2024, ruled that there are no constitutional impediments for the state governments to implement internal reservation. The  Congress party had included internal reservation, as recommended by the Justice A J Sadashiva Committee, in its manifesto for the 2023 state elections.

The Siddaramaiah-led Congress government had sent a recommendation to the central government asking for a constitutional amendment for the implementation of internal reservation before the Supreme Court verdict. “No action has been taken since the Supreme Court verdict, which has upset the members of the SC community,” the protestors said.

The group demanded that the state government implement internal reservation through an ordinance and take up the issue in its cabinet meeting scheduled in Kalaburagi on Tuesday.

Dalit leader Basavaraj Kouthal, a representative of the union, told DH, “The struggle for internal reservation has been going on for 30 years. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah welcomed it as well. It is his responsibility to implement internal reservation. We want the government to implement internal reservation in the next two months.”

Former Supreme Court judge Justice V Gopala Gowda and writer-activist Devanur Mahadeva participated in the protest.